It's not often that it rains here, but when it does, it's pretty intense. Generally, we get bad weather for a few days in March and we are usually closed for renovations. While the rain is here, you've got a couple of options really. Sit it out by the fire reading or doing jigsaws (all provided at CCD) or jump in the car and take advantage of all the fresh snow dumped in the Pyrenees. Skiing at Easter is one of our perks of living on the Costa Brava.
We decided to head up into the mountains for a couple of days staying in a rural house "Can Marc de Pi, Bellver de Cerdanya" (Tel: +34 609 75 94 48) where we had a very comfortable stay in a lovely modern ski chalet. Can Marc has 3 double bedrooms and an attic room that sleeps 9, 3 bathrooms and a kitchen / dining room with another dining table in the lounge with two comfortable sofas and a lovely fireplace. There is also a huge underground garage for two cars. Bellver de Cerdanya is located close to the town of Puigcerdá which is situated in a valley between Catalunya and France meaning that you can choose your ski resorts for the day. They are La Molina / La Masella 22km, Font Romeu 38km, Andorra 50km or A les Thermes 63km.
We had friends staying, so we drove up to Puigcerdá via the lake at Banyoles for lunch and then a stroll around the medieval town of Besalú for coffees before arriving at Can Marc in the evening. The next day, having checked the unsettled weather, we decided to head up to Andorra (El Pas de la Casa) where the weather was best and spend the day there. The next day, the sky was blue and it had dumped a good 20 cm of fresh snow. We decided to head up to Andorra again and had a great day at La Pas de la Casa. Ski school (private lessons) for the kids was €75 each for 2 hours and ski pass for the adults was €60 per person. Ski pass for children under 6 is free.
Alternatively, for those staying at Cal Domino, you can head up to the mountains for the day. La Molina / La Masella are about 2 hours away. Although Can Marc is great, nothing quite beats coming home to Cal Domino for a sauna, a jacuzzi and a swim in the heated pool...... We also have a fireplace !!
The ski season in the Pyrenees lasts until the end of March / first week in April so we were lucky to get fresh snow so late in the year. The best time to come would be the mid term holidays in February when the snow is guaranteed, although it is generally busy as it is the holidays. For those without children, any time between Christmas and March is a good time to visit but try to avoid the weekends as the resorts get a little busier with day trippers from Barcelona. Feel free to contact me for more information concerning the resorts and accommodation.
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